Leucocytozoon Toddi and Haemoproteus Tinnunculi (Protozoa: Haemosporina) in the Chimango Caracara (Milvago Chimango) in Southern

Home , Caracara (subfamily), Chimango caracara, Milvago

Mem Inst Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, Vol. 96(7): 1023-1024, October 2001 1023

SHORT COMMUNICATION Leucocytozoon toddi and Haemoproteus tinnunculi (Protozoa: Haemosporina) in the Chimango Caracara (Milvago chimango) in Southern Chile Donald J Forrester/+, Garry W Foster, Joan L Morrison*

Department of Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611, USA *Department of Biology, Trinity College, Hartford, Connecticut, USA Two species of blood protozoans were identified from blood smears collected from 15 specimens of the Chimango caracara (Milvago chimango) on Isla Grande de Chiloé in southern Chile. These included Leucocytozoon toddi in 13 birds, including all 5 of the 4-6 week old nestlings examined, and 8 of the subadults or adults. One of the nestlings also had a dual infection of L. toddi and Haemoproteus tinnunculi. These are the first reports of blood parasites from M. chimango.

Key words: Leucocytozoon toddi - Haemoproteus tinnunculi - Milvago chimango - chimango caracara - Chile

The chimango caracara (Milvago chimango) is Fifteen M. chimango, 5 nestlings (4-6 weeks of a member of the Falconidae family and is common age) and 10 non-breeding subadults or breeding in southern South America (del Hoyo et al. 1994). adults, were sampled. These birds were captured It is a generalist predator and feeds on a variety of on private farms on the northeastern end of Isla foods including carrion, human refuse, and a num- Grande de Chiloé, located in Region X in southern ber of animals such as invertebrates, nestling birds, Chile (43°55’S, 73°35’W), during the months of and small mammals (Yañez et al. 1982). With the November, December, and January of 1998-1999 (n exception of certain facets of its food habits and = 13), and January of 2000 (n = 2). The sampling breeding biology, little is known about this Neotro- was done essentially at sea level. Additional de- pical raptor (Fraga & Salvador 1986, Morrison & tails on the study area and capture methods are Phillips 2000). Published data on its parasites are given by Morrison and Phillips (2000). limited to one paper on chewing lice (Tendeiro & Thin blood films were made from peripheral Mendes 1994) and one on parasitic helminths blood, air dried, and subsequently fixed in abso- (Boero & Led 1971). No information on blood para- lute methanol and stained with Giemsa for 1 h at pH sites has been published. Herein we report infor- 7.0. Films were examined at 400X and 1,000X oil mation on blood parasites obtained while one of us immersion to detect the presence of blood para- (JLM) was studying the nesting habitat and suc- sites. At least 10,000 red cells were examined on cess of M. chimango during two breeding seasons each slide. of this caracara in southern Chile. Two species of blood protozoans were identified. Leucocytozoon toddi was found in 13 (87%) birds, including all the nestlings and 8 of the subadults or adults. One nestling had a dual infection of L. toddi and Haemoproteus tinnunculi. This is Florida Agricultural Experiment Station Journal Greiner and Kocan (1977) studied the various Series No. R-07880. Voucher blood films have been de- species of Leucocytozoon reported from fal- posited in the Institute of Parasitology, Universidad coniforms and determined that they are all syn- Austral de Chile, Valdivia, Chile (IPUAT nos. 0271 and onyms of L. toddi. They further concluded that 0272) and the US National Parasite Collection, Beltsville, this species was highly variable morphologically Maryland, USA (USNPC nos. 090867 and 090868). and was the only leucocytozoid infecting fal- Financial support: The Committee for Research and Ex- ploration of The National Geographic Society. coniforms worldwide. In a subsequent publication, +Corresponding author. Fax: 352-392-9704. E-mail: White et al. (1978) concluded that species of [email protected] Leucocytozoon are transmitted to birds in the Received 30 January 2001 Neotropics, but at a very low rate and prevalence. Accepted 27 June 2001 Overall, they found that only 0.2% of 35,555 birds 1024 Haemosporines of Chilean Caracaras Donald J Forrester et al.

(955 species representing 80 families) were infected an indication that the ceratopogonid vectors are with a species of Leucocytozoon. This was in con- present on the island, but in low numbers. trast to the findings of a similar study in North ACKNOWLEDGMENTS America where 17.7% of 57,026 birds (388 species of 55 families) had Leucocytozoon infections L Phillips, C Anderson, J Arnett, M Bruscia, L (Greiner et al. 1975). The reasons for the paucity of McConnell, S McGehee, J Pinkston, and N Wright as- Leucocytozoon infections in South American birds sisted in the field and J Armesto, A Iriarte, I Díaz, E Elgueta, C Sabag, and M Willson provided logistical help are not clear, but White et al. (1978) suggested that in Chile. E Greiner verified our identifications of the it might be due to low sample sizes or to the ab- blood parasites and read and commented on a draft of the sence or low prevalence of appropriate vectors. manuscript. M Sepúlveda and R Dusek also offered com- They further stated that all of the Leucocytozoon ments on the manuscript. infections included in their analysis were from the REFERENCES montane regions where the necessary lotic habitats needed for the reproduction and development Beltrán E, Pardiñas A 1953. Los protozoarios sanguíeos of simuliid vectors are more common. We are aware de les aves méxicanas. Mem Congr Cienc Méx 7: of only one previous record of a Leucocytozoon 117-138. infection in a Neotropical raptor; that was in an Bishop MA, Bennett GF 1992. Host-parasite catalogue of the avian haematozoa, supplement 1 and bibliog- American kestrel (Falco sparverius) in Mexico raphy of the avian blood-inhabiting haematozoa, (Beltrán & Pardiñas 1953). We know of no records supplement 2. Meml Univ Nfld Occas Pap Biol 15: of Leucocytozoon species in any of the nine spe- 1-244. cies of caracaras that occur in South America. No Boero JJ, Led JE 1971. 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